split 7inch vinyl record

For my latest project, I got the opportunity to work with a handful of artists that I love. 

I recorded some poems for the flipside of a 7inch vinyl record. The San Francisco band Sweat Lodge has two songs on their side. 

Songwriter/musician Robbie Cohen recorded my poems, so he also added some brilliant soundscapes behind them. We even got an amazing cover from Bay Area artist John Vochatzer so the whole thing turned out great. Much thanks for Related Records for putting all the pieces in place in the best way possible.

You can order a vinyl copy from me RIGHT HERE 

But even if you don't have a record player, Related Records has all the tracks available to stream for free if you want to LISTEN HERE

 

Punk Rock Presses AWP Panel in Portland 2019

Surprised but stoked that our Punk Rock Presses panel got selected for AWP 2019 in Portland.

Of course it was pretty much a last minute thing, but so are most of our best projects. I was contacted by my friend Rosemarie Dombrowski (founder of Rinky Dink Press and reigning Poet Laureate of Phoenix) because another panel that she was involved with fell apart. She asked if I would be interested in helping her put together a panel on presses with a punk influence/ethos (probably because she remembered that I used to perform with my friend Rocky Yazzie and his bands Turquoiz Noiz and The Skinwalkers). We both got excited about the possibilities and the three other presses we wanted to approach in hopes that they would join us and it all worked out.  

Punk Rock Presses: rinky dink, Forklift Ohio, Cardboard House, Wax Paper

Punk is a style of music, a state of mind, and a subculture of the small press world. Though punk is often perceived as nothing more than an anti-establishment posture, a punk ideology espouses a DIY ethos, is non-conformist in its productions, and resists selling out under pressure. These four presses define what it means to be punk publishers, and they’re thriving in a world of better-funded, perfect-bound counterparts…and wondering how long before the raw becomes the cooked.

I'm lucky to be part of such a distinguished team that includes Hans Hetrick of The Wax Paper, Giancarlo Huapaya of Cardboard House Press and Matt Hart of Forklift, Ohio, because they each bring unique experiences and dynamics to our panel. 

Outsiders on the inside!

80s SoCal Punk Behind The Poem in a recent issue of Chiron Review

I was excited to have a poem in a recent issue of Chiron Review (issue #101 Fall 2015) and several people asked me if the poem was based on a real photograph. It was and I finally found the photo, so I thought I'd post about the backstory.

I went to a local art gallery (Modified Arts) a few years ago to see an exhibit called "We Got Power! Hardcore Punk Scenes From 1980s Southern California"
http://loudwire.com/we-got-power-hardcore-punk-photos/

It was a display of gritty photographs by Dave Markey and Jordan Schwartz, the proprietors of We Got Power fanzine based in Los Angeles who were at the epicenter of the early 80's scene. Candid shots from early shows of bands like Black Flag, The Minutemen, etc. 

(back when Henry Rollins had hair)

This is the one that caught my attention and ended up inspiring the poem in Chiron Review: